Fallen Crest High(21)

"Are you obsessed with me?" My hands were starting to throb. I sucked in a breath when I tried to flex one hand, but stopped right away. What the hell had I done?

She laughed another one of those high-pitched squeals and flipped the red curls over again.

I cringed.

"Um, no. Are you crazy? I mean, you are, but are you?" Her laugh weakened.

She turned to face me in the car. "I've known Adam all my life. He's my neighbor and he's a good guy. He's one of the good guys. I was thrilled when he broke up with Ashley."

"So why don't you date him?"

The cheeks got red again and her hands started to fidget in her lap before she tugged her skirt further over her knees. She mumbled something then.

"What?"

When she looked back up, her whole face was red. "I'm not good enough for him. I'm fat. I know it. Everyone knows it. Your friends used to call me hippo every day until—they still do."

I frowned.

"Anyways, I'm happy that he likes you. Last year I wouldn't think you had any balls. I mean, look at who you were. You had two sleazy best friends and an even sleazier boyfriend. They were all sleazy together behind your back. Some people thought you were stupid or had special needs or something."

"Thanks," I said dryly.

She brightened. "Now you're awesome. Jill Flatten tried to decimate you and you got away from her, easy as pie. No one does that. And you made her look stupid too."

"Is that hard to do?"

"Ashley DeCortts is afraid of her. That says something."

I grinned. "Are you going to buy me dinner now? All this flattery, then you drove me, now's the food part? What's next? A movie and a drink?"

She went back to tugging her skirt down again.

"Relax." I caught one of her hands, but grimaced from the contact. My hands were going to be in rare form for awhile. I swallowed the pain down. "I'm sorry I'm not as excited about Adam Quinn. I don't know him. I've never cared to know him either."

She turned to the window and mumbled under her breath, "He's only the best guy in school. That's all who he is."

"I think you should try for him."

A corner of her mouth twitched up. "He doesn't like me like that. He's interested in you."

"Okay, well, we'll have to wait and see, hmmm?" I elbowed my door. "Can you help me out over here?"

"Oh." She scrambled around the car and opened my door. As we walked inside, she started to bounce up and down. "I picked up an application here for a job.

I'm hoping to work here. I think it'd be awesome. Everyone cool comes here, you know."

"When'd you turn your application in?"

"A month ago."

"Have they called for an interview?"

Her smile dimmed when we approached the counter. "The girl said they were fully staffed, but they'd call when they had some openings."

A Help Wanted sign hung underneath the cash register.

"Can I help you?" A brightly smiling petite girl waited for our orders.

I shook my head. "No."

"What? I like this place." Becky hurried after me towards the door.

"You tore into me how I let people walk over me last year. If we're friends, then take my advice. Don't let this place walk over you." I pushed open the door and started to step out, but a wall slammed into me from the side.

I cried out and blinked past tears from the sudden pain. It speared through me, but hands caught my shoulders and set me to the side.